Early renal biopsy in acute renal failure - Expect the unexpected

Present study was carried out to determine the contribution of early renal biopsy in diagnosis and management of acute renal failure (ARF) cases suspected on clinical grounds to be other than acute tubular necrosis (non ATN-ARF). Total 37 cases fulfilled the inclusion criteria. In 20 out of 37 (54.05%) cases the clinical diagnosis was in concordance with biopsy diagnosis. In 13 out of 37 (35.13%) cases the clinical diagnosis was in discordance with biopsy diagnosis which altered the management of the patient. Remaining 4 out of 37 (10.81%) cases were not diagnosed clinically and diagnosis of ARF was totally based on renal biopsy. So overall management alteration in non ATN - ARF patients was 45.94% (17 out of 37 cases). Thus, early renal biopsy contributes to specific treatment and therefore the outcome of patients with non ATN–ARF. Keywords: Acute Renal failure, Acute tubular necrosis, Amyloidosis, glomerulonephritis, Multiple myeloma, Vasculitis.